Subsea wells are drilled at water depths ranging from fifty to several thousand feet and a variety of techniques are employed to effect first the drilling of each well and then the installation of completion and production equipment to remove formation fluids from a reservoir. Offshore production of natural gas traditionally requires a large investment in expensive drilling and production equipment to be made. Where there are insufficient reserves in a given reservoir or the reserves are small but dispersed, the unit cost of development at that production location becomes prohibitively high. This problem is particularly acute for complex reserves in deepwater locations.
There remains a need to reduce the costs associated with production to reduce cost exposure in the event of a poor reservoir production outcome.
All of the patents cited in this specification, are herein incorporated by reference. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or in any other country. In the summary of the invention, the description and claims which follow, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.